What are the Main Elements of a Marketing Plan?

04 Mar What are the Main Elements of a Marketing Plan?

There’s absolutely no denying it; creating a marketing plan is essential for any business wanting to strategically and successfully organize, execute and measure any marketing in any shape or form – which is all businesses, right? And what’s more, the success of your marketing will be highly dependent on the quality of your marketing plan. 

While there are multiple types of marketing plans, each specifically created for different areas within the business, including the likes of campaigns, product releases, events, and social media – it’s important to recognize all of those marketing plans will work towards the same business goals. 

But when it comes to creating a marketing plan, what are the main elements?

Business goals

Every business is built on a foundation of well thought out strong goals, mission, and values. Whatever size the company is and whatever industry you are in, you need to have a set of goals.

Referencing your business goals is a good place to start when creating a marketing plan.

Description of the product, service, or campaign

Write a short introduction to briefly outline the product, service, or campaign you are creating a marketing plan for. 

Clear marketing objectives

A crucial element to a marketing plan is clearly outlining the objectives of that plan – in other words, your marketing goals. The great thing about marketing goals is that they can be measured and tend to be data-driven, for example, increasing sales leads or boosting website traffic. 

When setting your marketing goals, always go back and reference your business goals, so you know your marketing plans are supporting the main strategy of your business.

Target audience

It’s crucial that you define your target audience to be able to shape your marketing strategy and plan of action accordingly. Have a think about the following:

• Age
• Gender
• Lifestyle
• Interests
• Language
• Stage of their life

Budget

Money is undoubtedly one of the biggest drivers in any business decision – if not the most significant factor, right? With that in mind, you must include your budget in your marketing plan and remember to ask yourself, what services can you outsource? Which elements can you do yourself? And which of those marketing activities are a priority if you need to cut back on money?

Marketing Strategy 

Of course, your marketing plan needs a plan of action. You’ve considered both your business and marketing goals, the aim of your plan, your target audience, and your budget. Now it’s time to outline any marketing activities.

In as much detail as possible, consider the marketing activities that need to take place, including time frames and who is responsible for each. This could include:

• Social media (raw content and advertising)
• Pay per click advertising
• Print advertising
• Press release and media engagement
• Marketing collateral, like flyers
• Email marketing
• Promotion at events or trade shows

Measurement and KPIs

To complete your marketing plan, you should note the measurements and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that you need to take to ensure you can demonstrate the success of your activity, campaign, or product launch. This will also help you in the future, so you can learn and improve moving forward.

Are you ready to grow your business?

If you’re ready to grow your business, then contact Better Mousetrap Marketing. We help you fall in love with marketing again as we help you create a marketing plan with guaranteed success. Although our team is based in Nanaimo, Vancouver our marketing consulting team supports businesses across the island, as well as many parts of British Columbia. Get in touch with us today.